The four point framework is a very simple system to use. It doesn’t have to be very long nor does it have to be complex. The four points are simple what the overall story is based around. The points are the inciting incident, the first turning point, the second turning point, and the conclusion. It’s really that simple. When you have this completed you will see, in a big picture style of view, how the story is going to progress. This also helps you keep everything tracking right. So let’s take a look at what each point is and how to use it.

When I made the decision to write my first novel, I mentioned it in conversation to many different friends and family. I was stunned at how many people had themselves tried to write a novel and failed. A number of people told me, that without formal training, there was no way a regular person could write a book. I knew that was false since many books out there today were written by regular people. I knew there had to be a way for me to get my book written. The process I discovered is the process I’m going to be sharing with you over the next few months of blogs. A process so simple that I believe that anyone could follow it and create a publishable novel within a month.

Think about a time you went on a vacation. You didn’t go to the airport and just hop on whatever plane had a seat open. You didn’t randomly drive to a town and start looking for a hotel with an open room. Like most people, you took time, planned how you were traveling, where you were staying, and looked at all the different options of what you could do. You compared places to go and things to do. You searched for the best rates and the packages that had the best deals. In short, you outlined your trip before you took it.

Each and every day thousands of newspapers are printed and countless news networks report the news 24 hours a day. There is more news than any one person could ever read or process in a single day. These news stories are some of the best places to grab ideas for books. There are many different ways that you can use the news to gain new ideas. There are so many different news sources that it can be hard to know which ones to pay attention to. Follow along as I discuss how to use the news to have an unending source of material for your writing.

One of the ways we can have so many books about the same subject is that the characters are different. Truly special, unique characters are what changes a book from okay to a best seller. Many stories are similar but one will have amazing characters that the audience relates to and are rooting for while the other has characters that don’t strike a chord with the reader. The great character who is placed into a difficult situation is the one that we remember. The next time you are stumped for a book idea take an extra character from a book and retell the story from that character’s perspective.

When authors start writing they have that one great concept in mind. The finished book will be near and dear to them, a culmination of effort put into writing a full length novel. I would caution against starting with your prized work. I have seven published novels and will be releasing five more this year yet I still haven’t started working on the concept that got me into writing. I have it outlined and plenty of notes on it, but I am developing my work and my writing style before tackle my big project.